Yesterday was the second consecutive day the temperature reached 103 degrees in Hays, and this time it set a record.
According to information from the KSU Agricultural Research Center, the high of 103 degrees on July 20 broke the previous high record of 101 degrees in 1934, 1974, 1991, and 2002.
The overnight low was 71 degrees and by 8 a.m. Friday morning, the temperature was 84 degrees.
The weekend weather forecast is calling for another triple digit high today, then cooler with a chance of rain.
Commissioner Sandy Jacobs explains why she agreed with a 50% cut in city funding to the Ellis Co. Coalition for Economic Development.
By BECKY KISER Hays Post
In a 28-minute discussion, Hays city commissioners Thursday night came to a consensus to cut city funding to the Ellis County Coalition for Economic Development (ECCED) by 50 percent in the 2018 budget.
The proposal came from Commissioner Henry Schwaller and is the same percentage funding cut recommended last month by Ellis County commissioners in the county’s draft 2018 budget. Hays and Ellis County are the biggest contributors to the ECCED budget. The city’s distribution now stands at $43,775, down from the 2017 allocation of $87,550.
Vice Mayor James Meier went even further. “My position is that the Ellis County Coalition should not be funded this year,” he said. The Coalition has been criticized by city and county commissioners for not being responsive to the governing bodies’ directives for some time.
ECCED Executive Director Aaron White and Board President Deron O’Connor, Commerce Bank president, were in the audience but did not address the commission.
It was the only agreement reached and change made to the outside agency cuts proposed by City Manager Toby Dougherty in the draft budget. Dougherty’s recommendations were a 10 percent cut in allocations to the Fort Hays State University (FHSU) scholarship program (from $100,000 to $90,000) and to the ECCED (from $87,550 to $78,795).
“I was part of a strategic planning session yesterday for the Coalition,” Sandy Jacobs told her fellow commissioners, “and as I said last week, I had a tremendous amount of indecision. I was ready last night to agree with James and totally cut the funding.”
Jacobs said she was “really proud and very respectful of the people on that board. They all have jobs and lives and they still give their time to that.” She noted 19 of the 25 board members were present for Wednesday’s hours-long planning session. During a joint meeting with county commissioners in April, the discussion included a recommendation to downsize the number of board members to become more effective.
“There’s been some lapses, in my opinion, some veering off course and inability to reach consensus on some serious issues,” Jacobs read from a note in front of her, glancing out at White and O’Conner. “I know my fellow commissioners and our predecessors on this commission have given strong warning about funding with specific changes and initiatives in mind to no avail. … I think it’s a vital, vital organization,” she added.
“Commissioner Schwaller offered something tonight that I would be interested in. To reach consensus, I could (agree with) a 50 percent cut to the Coalition,” Jacobs concluded. “Changing my decision is very difficult….I’m serious. I don’t know what other words to use than ‘feet to the fire….we will be watching it.'”
Mayor Shaun Musil agreed.
“I think they need to do need to make some changes. I’ve met with the current board president and the president-to-be and I really think they get where we’re coming from. I think they want to make some changes. I hope that’s true,” Musil said. “To not have economic development, to me, would be a shame in our community.”
Commissioner Lance Jones, who is away for annual military training, has been absent the past two commission meetings.
The other four commissioners were still in disagreement about the FHSU cuts, with Musil and Jacobs fearing any reduction “sends a bad message.” Meier said he “can’t disagree with that but local government doesn’t exist to fund another governmental entity.”
In speaking with FHSU representatives, Musil noted they said “this year may be the biggest on-campus freshman class, more than 1,000.” Although he did not have the data in front of him, Musil said he had been told “every freshman student spends about $12,000 while in Hays, and part of that is retail purchases. That brings millions (of dollars) to our community. Where would we be without Fort Hays?”
Commissioner Schwaller, an instructor in the FHSU Robbins College of Business & Entrepreneurship, said he “would not participate” in the FHSU allocation discussion.
The cuts in outside agency funding would in part help pay for city employee raises in 2018.
“We have a set of 181 employees that we didn’t give a raise to last year,” Meier pointed out. “This year we said the only way you get a raise is if you cut your way to it (within department budgets). There’s nothing wrong with that. We should always be looking for efficiencies and say if you want something you can find it yourself through efficiencies. But beyond that, our employees are the ones that are affecting our policies and taking care of what a local government should be taking care of. For us to hold harmless outside agencies that withdraw from our General Fund while we ask our employees to cut their way to a raise, sends a message that perhaps we don’t want to send, not only to our employees but also to the general taxpayer.”
Meier concluded he was “fine with the staff recommendation” to cut FHSU funding by 10 percent.
The city’s General Fund monies come from the city sales tax. Hays is the only city in Kansas to do so. With the current flat trend in sales tax receipts, sales tax revenues in 2018 are projected flat compared to 2017. The 25.000 mill levy is maintained for 2018.
Also proposed by Dougherty is moving the remaining half of city funding for the Downtown Hays Development Corporation (DHDC) to the Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB) budget which is funded by the Transient Guest tax.
During the July 6 work session, Commissioner Jones said he favored also cutting DHDC by 10 percent. At that meeting Mayor Musil disagreed, saying “DHDC is one area of our sales tax base that’s growing.” Thursday night Musil noted he and his wife Heather will soon become owners of a downtown business and said he felt he “shouldn’t speak on the DHDC funding.”
Discussion of the 2018 draft budget will continue at the July 27 regular meeting. The approved 2018 budget must be submitted to the Ellis County Clerk by Aug. 25, following a public hearing yet to be scheduled.
Hays city commissioners will again review the 2018 draft budget during their work session Thursday evening with continued discussion of possible cuts in city funding to General Fund outside agencies.
Although most years he “leaves it all alone,” Hays City Manager Toby Dougherty has already recommended a 10 percent cut for Fort Hays State University (FHSU) scholarships and a 10 percent cut in the allocation to the Ellis County Coalition for Economic Development (ECCED).
“Our city staff was challenged this year to find money for employee pay raises,” Dougherty said. “They did a very good job of tightening belts, making cuts where it’s beneficial yet shouldn’t affect the public at large that much.”
“Because of that I didn’t feel it was right to hold all the outside agencies harmless when everybody else was finding ways to cut (their budgets).”
FHSU scholarships would be cut $10,000 to $90,000 for 2018. ECCD would be cut $8,755 to $78,795 in 2018 city allocations.
There was no proposed cut to Social Services which is again requesting $164,000 to be distributed among the American Red Cross-Ellis Co. Chpt., Big Brothers Big Sisters, Cancer Council of Ellis Co., CASA of the High Plains, First Call for Help, Options, Hays Senior Center and DSNWK Access Transportation. “In my opinion, that’s should be one of the last things that gets cut,” Dougherty added.
The $26,828 request by the Downtown Hays Development Corporation (DHDC) would be moved into the city’s Convention and Visitors Bureau budget to be funded by the transient guest tax.
City commissioners had a lively discussion during their July 6 work session with an apparent consensus that more cuts should be made to the ECCD. There were disagreements about making new cuts to DHDC and whether cutting dollars to FHSU sends “the wrong message.”
Other agenda items for the July 20 work session include a construction engineering agreement for the airport wildlife fence, addendums to the agreements with the three city employee unions, and an issuance of general obligation refunding bonds Series 2017B.
It’s another big weekend of activities coming up in celebration of the 150th anniversary of the city of Hays, Ellis County and historic Fort Hays.
City Commissioner Sandy Jacobs was a young Hays resident when the town’s centennial was celebrated.
“I was here for the 100th year,” Jacobs recalled. “I was a little girl. I remember my aunt made us beautiful clothes. It was fun.”
Now, 50 years later, the sesquicentennial observation is filled with activities throughout 2017.
A four-day city-wide event presented by Downtown Hays Development Corporation (DHDC) and the Hays Convention & Visitors Bureau (CVB) kicks off Thu., July 20 with the Sesquicentennial Art Exhibit at the Hays Arts Council, 112 E. 11th, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., with the same hours on Friday. The Hays Larks will take on El Dorado at 7 p.m. in Larks Park with historical special guests. Admission is free to both events.
Friday, July 21, features Main Street Cruise Night starting at 6 p.mm. Participants should meet in the ACE Hardware parking lot, 3300 Vine, to cruise on down to Main Street and dance the night away to the Jimmy Dee Band. The street dance begins at 7 p.m.
“Worlds Apart, Cities Together” will be dedicated Saturday at 1 p.m. with Sister Cities representatives from Santa Maria, Paraguay, and Hays.
Saturday, July 22, starts with Bargains on the Bricks, 7 a.m. to 1 p.m., the annual sidewalk sale in downtown Hays. The Downtown Hays Market will be open the same hours in the 10th Street parking lot. Runners will be hitting the bricks at 7 a.m. for the Cancer Council of Ellis County annual race and fundraiser. More than 300 of the top custom cars, street rods, sports cars, pickups, 4X4s, race cars, classics, antiques, and motorcycles will be competing for top awards at the Thunder on the Bricks Car, Truck and Cycle show, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. in Municipal Park. The Sesquicentennial Art Exhibit will be open again 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Hays Arts Council. Join the Sister Cities of Hays committee and city officials at the Hays Public Library at 1 p.m. as they welcome partners from Santa Maria, Paraguay. They’ll be celebrating and dedicating the permanent display “Worlds Apart, Cities Together” created by Cody Custer, which honors their Sister City relationship.
Sunday, July 23, opens with a Christian multi-faith church service at 10 a.m. in the Municipal Park. All are welcome to participate with 15 churches represented. It will be followed by a sesquicentennial picnic with free brats, hot dogs and cake for the first 750 people, along with a 150th year proclamation by city and county commissioners and historical reenactments. There’ll also be a free inflatable bounce village for the kids and free admission to the Ellis County Historical Society museum, 100 W. 7th, 12 to 5 p.m. The Hays Aquatic Park will offer a free swim day from 12 to 6 p.m.
More information is available on the Hays Convention and Visitors Bureau website, www.visithays.com.
Feedback gathered during the June 6 town hall meeting.
UWEC
The United Way of Ellis County is creating a Community Needs Assessment and we need to hear from you!
After holding several town hall meetings and listening to the public, we have narrowed down the issues effecting Ellis County citizens the most.
This survey will assist us in developing a strategic plan and determining our Community Impact Initiative.
Please fill out this 5 minute survey and help us make Ellis County healthier and stronger. Please share this survey with your friends, family and coworkers.
Mary Poppins – The Broadway Musical
July 27th – 29th, 2017 @ 7pm
Beach/Schmidt Performing Arts Center
600 Park Street
Hays, KS 67601
Everyone’s favorite practically perfect nanny takes the stage in this Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious musical adventure!
Adults – $15 + Fees
Children (12 & Under) – $10 + Fees
Please note that if you want to choose specific seats, you must purchase them from a computer internet browser. If you are using a mobile device to purchase tickets, the seats will be assigned by “best available” in each section.
“MARY POPPINS is presented through special arrangement with Music Theatre International (MTI). All authorized performance materials are also supplied by MTI, www.MTIShows.com
John Richard Schrock is a professor at Emporia State University.
More teachers are leaving Kansas classrooms. That includes both veteran teachers and younger rookies. What can be done to reduce this attrition until someday the supply of new teachers returns? Simply—individual teachers who are contemplating leaving can be offered extra pay.
Over these last decades, Kansas beginning and average salaries for teachers have been dropping when compared with the other 49 states. Nor has teacher pay kept pace with inflation. Teacher salaries had their highest purchasing power in the early 1970s. Looking ahead to an eroding salary that no longer compares to other professions that require a college degree, and no longer being able to afford to send their own children to college, it is reasonable that more Kansas teachers are considering leaving the profession or leaving the state.
One stop gap measure now available to school administrators is retention bonuses, a form of differential pay. Simply, schools can pay an additional bonus to keep a good teacher in the classroom.
This is not to be confused with the supplemental pay provided to a teacher for taking on extra duties such as after-school coaching or sponsoring the student council.
In some states, there is one uniform statewide salary scale. Some of those states have a higher pay scale for teachers in a shortage area. Often, all special education or all science teachers will get a higher salary. This is called differential pay. However, Kansas has over 280 unified school districts, each with a different salary scale. And the cost of living across urban to rural districts can be quite different. So a teacher might earn a smaller salary but be better off than a richer teacher in a high-cost area.
But local control also means that schools can offer individual retention bonuses appropriate to their district. A teacher should check their district’s negotiated agreement for language pertaining to bonuses. Schools can offer extra money in the annual contract, above-and-beyond the standard salary scale, to individual teachers who have proven themselves in the classroom and for whom the school district is unlikely to find a replacement.
This is not too different from hiring bonuses, the one-time lumps of money commonly offered to attract a teacher to come to a district. Hiring bonuses have been used for years, especially by remote rural districts or high-poverty schools. But retention bonuses can be added to hold onto a veteran teacher who is considering leaving, or to recruit away an exceptional teacher from another district.
Retention bonuses are added to the yearly contracts. If a teacher is promised an ongoing bonus to stay in the district, this teacher needs to get in writing that the bonus will be added to the salary schedule dictated by the negotiated agreement each and every year through duration of employment.
For several years now, some high-performance Kansas science, math and other teachers have negotiated retention bonuses that have kept them in Kansas classrooms. Some have negotiated up to an additional $10,000–12,000 per year! The ability of a school to offer retention bonuses will depend on the district’s resources, local teaching climate and administration.
Even a modest $1000-per-year renewed retention-bonus amounts to $40,000 over a 40-year career. Such accumulating amounts can make a difference in the life of a teacher and his/her family.
It is important to do everything we can to keep our best teachers from leaving Kansas classrooms. When Kansas students return to school this fall, they need the best teachers Kansas can retain. This may not set well with non-shortage-area teachers in the teacher’s lounge. —Nor with local citizens who have a low regard for education. But Kansas needs to do what is best for Kansas students.
John Richard Schrock is a professor at Emporia State University.
By BECKY KISER
